NEW YORK | 15 Penn Plaza (Hotel Penn) | 1,050 FT / 315 M | 52 FLOORS

[DeSelby]

I don't think that's the old abandoned Vinoly Facebook design. I think it's definitely a Foster design, either outdated or new. That view of the tower down 33rd street from MSG looks a lot like Foster's Torre Cepsa in Madrid.





Luis Garcia Wikimedia Commons (first time posting images here, hope I did it right)

Edit: so that didn't seem to work so I'll just link it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_Cepsa#/media/File:Torre_Cepsa_(Madrid)_01.jpg

Also, here's a proposed Foster Mexico City skyscraper that's very reminescent of the renders Manitopiaa found:

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/04/28/reforma-432-foster-partners-mexico-city-skyscraper/#

[JMKeynes]

Based on this glimpse of The north facade, I think it will look amazing.

[JMKeynes]

Even if Vornado has a tenant commitment (e.g., Amazon), I wonder how long it will be before this is ready to be occupied. I assume that demo and excavation will take at least two years. This is a huge site.

[Xing Lin]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

I was looking at Vornado's portfolio book (have $2k invested in them) and noticed the Penn 15 design seems to have changed:




Never seen a version where there's no tapering at the top, so I assume this is new? Or extremely old?

That design looks quite similar to this early Foster iteration:

Originally Posted by NYguy

The rendering on the right is another alternative proposal for 15 Penn.






http://www.whsad.org/whats-happening-at-...week-sends-whsad-to-vornado-realty-trust

NYC Department of Education’s Career Discovery Week Sends WHSAD to Vornado Realty Trust

FEBRUARY 13, 2020
BY DESELLE THOMPSON




Compared with the last version floating around...same base, but reworked tower.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by DeSelby

I don't think that's the old abandoned Vinoly Facebook design. I think it's definitely a Foster design, either outdated or new.

It's definitely Foster's design, I'm saying it was evolved from the Vinoly design. The further refined version is what we have today. The updated renderings are in the Penn District plans.

Here you can see that this version, a taller tower, was basically in line with Vinoly's 1,400 ft tower.




































For the most part, the configuration of the lower floor has changed, but been somewhat consistent...

[JMKeynes]

I wonder if this is a new design. I liked how the prior one tapered at the top.

[C.]

Nice! I like it.

[Xing Lin]

My guess at where this interesting design fits in the Foster+Partners design's progression- concept>refined finishes>refined massing:

[NYguy]

^ That’s exactly what it is. You can put Vinoly’s to the left for good measure.

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

I wonder if this is a new design. I liked how the prior one tapered at the top.

It isn’t. They keep the updated renderings on the website.

[JMKeynes]

[Raysiri]

Now that’s better.

[rgarri4]

Man the early version looked much cleaner and less clunky looking.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by rgarri4

Man the early version looked much cleaner and less clunky looking.

Absolutely agree, but for some reason NYC has been in a "let's build the ugliest skyscraper possible" phase lately.

Not really a fan of the jutting out setbacks at all, I much prefer the box. Is thing actually likely to get built?

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Absolutely agree, but for some reason NYC has been in a "let's build the ugliest skyscraper possible" phase lately…

You come up with some real doozies, but that ridiculous comment takes the cake. It’s utterly absurd.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

That’s utterly absurd.

Tower Fifth, Affirmation Tower, BIG's 2WTC, this tower...

All pretty ugly if you ask me, luckily some won't see the light of day.

NY deserves better

You come up with some real doozies, but that ridiculous comment takes the cake.

k

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Tower Fifth, Affirmation Tower, BIG's 2WTC, this tower...

All pretty ugly if you ask me, luckily some won't see the light of day.

NY deserves better




k

I don't mean to be harsh because you seem pretty nice, but no city is building anything remotely like what NY has built in recent years and is still building.

[Raysiri]

New York is making so-called “ugly” so that it can build the impossible.

[Busy Bee]

What's that expression about something being in the eye of the beholder?

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller

I can't take your opinion seriously if you think The Spiral, a boring blue glass box with a moderately interesting design element, is "in a league of its own." Manhattan West is nice, but it's another featureless blue glass box with the slightest of interest in the form of curved corners. It's less interesting and attractive than Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. That tower is in a league of its own because it has to meet standards to survive an earthquake.

I love New York. It's got a heck of a lot going for it. If there were another city in the US that had 8.5 million people, perhaps we could compare it. But let's not delude ourselves into thinking that it's doing things that aren't happening elsewhere. 220 CPS, for example, is basically the same design plus an additional 200 feet with what RAMSA built in Chicago at One Bennet Park.

First, I was responding to someone who seems rather pleasant, but who nonetheless, routinely seems to find the negative in NY. His following statement was absurd: "For some reason NYC has been in a 'let's build the ugliest skyscraper possible' phase lately."

Second, no American city is remotely building the quality that NY is. In fact, most American cities aren't building anything these days.

[BuildThemTaller]

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

First, I was responding to someone who seems rather pleasant, but who nonetheless, routinely seems to find the negative in NY. His following statement was absurd: "For some reason NYC has been in a 'let's build the ugliest skyscraper possible' phase lately."

Second, no American city is remotely building the quality that NY is. In fact, most American cities aren't building anything these days.

First of all, you quoted my post in your previous response. Check post #1739.

Second, you are blind if you think only New York is capable of building high-quality towers. I mean, New York City isn't even building the towers, individual developers are doing so. And many of the same developers - SOM, Studio Gang, RAMSA, and many others - are active in other cities in the United State and around the world. My original post didn't even compare NYC to other cities in the US. You shifted the conversation and conveniently failed to consider that many other cities around the world are also building high-quality skyscrapers. You're being myopic if you think NYC towers are on some plane of existence above everyone else. There are many towers being proposed in NYC, like 15 Penn (bringing it back to this discussion) that are atrocious in their design. There is no elegance in this, nothing other than brutal height and mass. For every 1 Vanderbilt, there are half a dozen Gene Kaufman designs in this city. Cherry picking only the cream of crop doesn't really help your argument. It's ok to look at something and just accept that it isn't the best. Hopefully, something nicer and more refined will be built next to it.